HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY

To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key.

Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window.

guide to the dictionary

sole¹

(sōl)

1. The underside of the foot.

2. The underside of a shoe or boot, often excluding the heel.

3. The part on which something else rests while in a vertical position, especially:

a. The bottom surface of a plow.

b. The bottom surface of the head of a golf club.

tr.v. soled, sol·ing, soles

1. To furnish (a shoe or boot) with a sole.

2. To put the sole of (a golf club) on the ground, as in preparing to make a stroke.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin solea, sandal, from solum, bottom, sole of the foot.]

sole²

(sōl)

adj.

1. Being the only one: the sole survivor of the crash.

2. Of or relating to only one individual or group; exclusive: She took sole command of the ship.

[Middle English, alone, from Old French sol, from Latin sōlus; see s(w)e- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

sole³

(sōl)

n. pl. sole or soles

1. Any of various chiefly marine flatfishes of the family Soleidae, having both eyes on the right side of the body, and including food fishes such as the Dover sole of the Atlantic Ocean.

2. Any of various other flatfishes, especially certain flounders.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin solea, sandal, flatfish (from its shape); see SOLE¹.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

American Heritage Dictionary Products

HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY

THE USAGE PANEL

AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG

INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES?

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

American Heritage Dictionary Products